To Fable it was a fairy wand. To Bo it was a knight's sword. But a great teacher recognizes that the lesson isn't in the wand but the waving... I know that to be true because I grew up with many teachers who did not believe that was the case.

I struggled with so many teachers growing up because they wanted me to see the world, the book, the lesson like they saw it. They wanted me to read the book and recognize the same metaphors and lessons. They wanted to stand before me with their wand and have me recognize that I, too, was holding one. But I saw something different in my hand and was often punished with a lower grade (or an incomplete) because of it...

Just because it's a wand to you does not mean it has to be a wand to her. You can not teach a person how to discover, you can only help teach them what to do with the thing they have discovered.

So, go ahead. Teach her how to wave. But never tell her what it is she's waving. Let her figure that out for herself.

ED: Shout out to the teachers I had/still have who understood/understand the importance of promoting independent thought, most recently, Archer's 3rd grade teacher who will go down in history as one of the greatest third grade teachers of all time. (Archer became a writer this year, thanks to him. A freethinking, without-limits, question-everything writer.) Teaching is THE MOST IMPORTANT job that exists and as the school year comes to a close, I want to thank any/all teachers who might be reading this. I wholeheartedly believe that the future of our educated populace does not depend on iPads or whatever new technology is being forced down the throats of our educational establishments, but on the GREAT HUMAN TEACHERS who understand their roles as mentors and guides, who speak to and not AT their students with both authority and vulnerability. Thank you, all, for what you do.